Employment

Need a Career Makeover?

January 18, 2018

Get a fresh start this January — the symbolic month of doors, of stepping on the threshold from the old into the new. The year is so full of possibilities!  I always enjoy creating something new in January. How about you?

I sat down at Espresso Royalle Cafe, my favorite coffee place, and began to sketch out ideas for a special program. I pulled together all my coaching resources from a lifetime as an educator, program director, creative and coach. This is what I love! It’s what gets my heart pumping. Designing services that will empower people to fulfill their dreams.

The people I work with want more than the status quo. They want a life that is meaningful, challenging and fun. And their work has to fulfill that promise too. That’s why I’m launching my new program. If you know anyone who could benefit from a Career Makeover, here it is!

Career Makeover

  • Need help designing a career path?
  • Don’t know if it’s time to find a new job?
  • Thinking it’s time to advance in your profession, but don’t know what to do first?
  • You’re contemplating starting a business, and need a thinking partner?
  • You want more than a job, you want a calling?

Being there can feel overwhelming, stressful, confusing. Coaching gets you clarity, because we work with a clear strategy. With my Career Makeover Program you get coaching sessions, and a menu of tools, exercises and assignments, all proven to get you all the way to your goal. Coaching provides you with accountability, you are in action, accelerating. Best of all, you get confidence in yourself and in your decisions.

Need to know more? Get that here.

Ready to book a free consultation? Schedule here

Do you think “Not good enough”? and “I need to fix my flaws”?

May 17, 2017

Does your barbell have “not good enough’ on one end, and ‘fix my flaws’ on the other?

There’s body building. Then there’s this…

Sometimes we get caught up with forcing ourselves to get stronger in weak areas. Noble and worthwhile ambitions. But you will never be passionate here, and it won’t hold your focus. By investing in your strengths, this can be a powerful source for success.

It must be the educator and designer in me, but I love creating learning tools. Here is an easy three step process to concentrate on your most powerful areas. You can use this knowledge to elevate your success.

 

A little homework:

 

  1. Grab yourself an iced tea, relax in your lawn chair in the back yard and make a list. Take stock of your strengths. Answer these questions:
  • “In what areas of life do I feel naturally strong?”
  • “What am I already good at?”
  • “Given that this is a strength, what’s the next level of development with that?”

 

  1. Next, make a list of two to three goals, and the resources that are available to you right now.

 

  1. Then, weave these two lists together, do this in narrative form. This is positively reinforcing what you already have, instead of focusing on what you don’t have, or are striving to get.

 

Sarah’s Example:

Strengths:

  • I make rapid, easy connections with people
  • I have a large network
  • I have infectious positivity
  • I have great communication skills

 

Goals                                                                        

  1. Develop a part time marketing biz;

     With an eye toward taking it full time

  1. Develop a wider network, outside local area
  2. Health goals – start a regular work out routine

Resources

  1. Connections within Professional Business Community
  2. Use national platform I’m already a part of
  3. Connect within network with a health goal partner or workout buddy

 

Her Narrative

I view my strengths as being my soft skills – because I genuinely like people and am an extrovert, I make rapid, easy connections. Because of this, I have a large network. I have been blessed with infectious positivity, and tend to view the world as a friendly place.

 

Because my goal is to develop a part time marketing business, I will need to use my large network of people to begin getting the word out and start creating clients. I know I’ll have to throw the net wider if I’m going to make it a full time business. I realize now I could take on a leadership role with the state chapter of the professional business community that I am now a member of locally. My connections there will be great resources.

 

I realize now that my strengths as a people person might help with my health goals too. I will commit to connect with people who can support me with diet and regular exercise. A personal trainer or workout buddy?

 

P.S.  If you are curious about what your strengths might be, the University of Pennsylvania has a survey you can take. You’ll need to register. ( Look for QUESTIONNAIRES. They offer many surveys, the strengths survey is called VIA Survey of Character Strengths. There is also a shorter version available, Brief Strengths test.) https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/

Onward and Upward!

 

 

 

 

He Stared at the List. Then, an Awakening

February 2, 2017

Action: Energy + Momentum = Results

I was meeting with a client last Wednesday who is working on a change in career direction. This guy (I’ll call him Kyle) is very goals driven. As we have worked together, Kyle has researched, interviewed authorities, and collected data. He keeps a notebook of ideas with goals attached and a calendar with deadlines in the notebook. He looks at the notebook everyday. He had gotten to the stage of exploring 3 distinct career paths, and couldn’t decide. Which path should he explore?

Which path should he take?

I saw his notebook as a very ‘brain centric’ tool. Kyle definitely had that part covered. My work as a coach is to coach the whole person, head and heart. It was time to check in with Kyle’s heart. Which career direction did he feel the most passion and interest for? As we explored this conversation for a while, he realized that he was most excited for one path! (I saw his eyes light up). We found out that he had resisted that choice because:

1. It was the scariest. The learning curve was longer and the outcome unknown. The other two options would have been easy. Kyle already knew how to do them. And bingo, that was the reason they were on the list!

2. Secondly, he was waiting for ‘other people’ to give him permission to proceed. After contacting a training and certification organization, he had received little direction, and that had not been helpful. Prompting Kyle to hang out in limbo and WAIT.

As a coach, I know any action will yield energy, momentum and a result. I encouraged him to get right into action. He had the power within himself to begin. He didn’t need to wait. He decided to jump in.

Kyle called me later to say he was excited AND nervous. Perfect!

P.S. Like what I do? One of the biggest compliments you can give is to share my work with friends! Feel free to forward articles and links to your people; I promise to take good care of them. Thank you for supporting me in any way that feels good.

Opportunity Knocked. She Wanted to Run In the Opposite Direction

December 8, 2016

Daria was stuck in a big decision. She was waffling about a job offer she’d gotten in Seattle. Her initial reaction 2 days ago had been one of excitement. The job was a good match, for a company on her A list. And Seattle? She loved the city! But something had happened in the two days since she had been offered the job. A mental paralysis had settled in. And she was now swimming in a funk of indecision. With a yes or no deadline looming, she called me and we met over coffee to discuss what had happened.

How do you go from over the moon excitement to the basement of doom in two days? Worry. Daria started to list all the ways this was going to be hard. She would have to find a place to live. She would have to learn a new job. She would have to build new friendships. Learn a new city. Start all over. This was freaking her out, and the anticipatory worry had overwhelmed her.

“Daria, all of these things are true. It will be hard. Moving to the other side of the country won’t be easy. But one thing I know about you is you learn quickly, are resourceful, and have great energy. Do you think all of these worries will still be true in six months?” Daria looked at me, and slowly shook her head, no. “Will you have learned the city by then?” “Well, yes.” “Will you have learned your new job?” “I’ll be on the way.” With each question, I could see her mood shift. Lighten.

Daria had gotten stuck in the space where she realized the magnitude of the undertaking. Where things were going to be hard work. But she had not moved through the process. She had forgotten to stay connected to her dream,and to her strengths. It’s like staring at your feet when you’re trying to stand tall and walk, it’s impossible to do. You have to lift your eyes and look at the distant horizon. Where will you be in six months if you say yes to a new opportunity? If I know you, you’re not afraid of the hard work of growing into your potential.

The Secret Behind Every Decision

December 8, 2015

“I think I’m depressed” Tom (not his real name) said quietly over his coffee cup. Indeed, he looked sad. I urged him to tell me what was going on. As the story unfolded, Tom said that he was having trouble feeling good about his decisions. He blamed poor decision-making on his lack of a big bank account and a more prestigious career. His father, mother and sister were all very accomplished people. He was sure there was something wrong with him, that he couldn’t do the same.

The Secret Behind Every Decision

Tom’s story included the fact that he was a good Dad to two daughters. His marriage had broken up when the girls were young. From the tenor of his story, I had a feeling that Tom had not made poor decisions. But that his values shaped his behavior and choices, values he wasn’t aware of. I knew that if I could help Tom discover what values drove his past decisions, he would feel a lot better about himself, and that would inform all future decisions.

Values are the principles that you live your life by. Too often, we are unable to identify what is really important for us. We don’t live our lives in alignment with our values, and then wonder why we feel unbalanced or things aren’t working. To honor your values means to create and live your life in such a way that there is nothing in the way of living them. This leads to a life lived with integrity.

The compass that sets your course are your core values. Those core values direct all of your life choices and every aspect of your behavior. Core values are defined by you. They are:

  • Something that is regarded as important.
  • Standards of behavior.
  • Beliefs, ideals.
  • Guidelines of worth.
  • Principles that guide conduct.
  • Seen as intrinsically desirable, valuable.

Values are easily squashed by needs, shoulds and problems.

Needs. ..Shoulds. ..Tolerations. ..Unresolved matters. ..Addictions… Irresponsibility. Stress… Fantasies. ..Roles. ..Money. …Obligation/Duty……..

Until this list is handled, values orientation is difficult to do, because most people have values and needs confused. Their needs are so great that they overshadow their values. This circumstance makes living a values based life and setting values based goals unsustainable. A Values based life brings fulfillment.

Some examples of values: Accomplishment, Discipline, Social Recognition, Spirituality, Taking risks, Tradition, Wealth, Creativity.

Tom did a values assessment with me, and discovered that family and responsibility were much stronger values for him than affluence. Tom had been comparing himself to others and in his mind he hadn’t measured up. A man with a prestigious career and a big bank account was the role he imagined he was supposed to play. For Tom, the discovery that he had made the choice to work at jobs that would be best for his family, jobs that allowed him to be the kind of Dad he wanted to be, brought him great relief. That knowledge paved the way to making peace with the past, feeling satisfaction for the present, and empowered about the future.

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Guidelines for Making Good Career Decisions

June 11, 2015

It All Depends On Where You Want to Go

The road is a long one between North Carolina and Michigan. We had taken a detour on a whim. Just as we approached our exit to go west, we veered east instead. We were curious to see the scenic coastal city of Wilmington. When we were back in the car pointed west again, GPS broadcasted the disconcerting news ‘12 hours and 25 minutes’ to get home, I felt a surge of discouragement. Navigating our way to Florida to be with family was exciting. That part of the trip was fun with anticipation. Then, by wandering and wobbling along the road back, it felt like we had gotten sidetracked, pulled off course.
The perils of getting sidetracked.  A client was having a problem we all would envy.She had been sought out for a job in another department at the university she worked for. A promotion and a raise. The HR Manager called her out of the blue, told her that her work and accomplishments had been noted by the Dean’s Office — “She was a top-tier employee”. They wanted her to come work for them.
Wow! …… and then Whoa, Wait a Minute! My client was hesitating for several reasons. One, she was happy in her present job. She had not been seeking a change. Two, she knew her boss counted on her and he would be upset if she left. She felt a strong sense of loyalty. (But she also knew her boss respected her, and wanted the best for her.) Three, the new job included many unknowns. But then, here was an opportunity being offered to her? Should she take it? As we continued to talk, I asked her some thought-provoking coaching questions.

1. Did she enjoy challenging, sometimes difficult work, or did she need a job where she knew what to expect? (The answer to that was she loved solving problems, and challenging work).

2.Was her present job one she saw herself staying in until she retired? (No. She knew lots of people at the university who were content, comfortable, but she liked to do ‘what’s next’. She loved her present job, but upon thinking, she didn’t want to end her career there.)

3. So the next question was, “What do you see as your optimal career path, your dream position?”

4. And does this job that has been offered to you, fit into that picture?

It all depends on where you want to go. Being very clear about that makes all the difference in where you end up.
Her career path doesn’t have to be haphazard and dependent on the decisions or whims of others. She is empowered to create her own way.
Where do you want to go? That is the question that will lead you to making decisions about your next step.

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